Donald Sloan (Don Sloan) @ PlayUpLiverpool.com

Born: July 31, 1883: Rankinston (Ayrshire), Scotland.
Passed away: January 1, 1917: Arras (Hauts-de-France), France – killed in action during World War 1.
** (The Battalion returned to the trenches in I Sector on the 30th, and again took over from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. On January 1st 1917, a heavy German trench mortar bomb fell on a dug-out in C company’s line, causing it to collapse, and killing five men in it. From the book of A. G. Wauchope, “A History of the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) in the Great War, 1914-1918, Vol. III (London, 1926),” page 33.)

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9 comments

Hello Kjell
My name is James Sloan and Don Sloan was my grandfather.He had two sons and a daughter,Donald Jimmy & Ester.Donald Jnr was born in the north of Ireland in Holywood County Down and Ester and my father where born in Scotland.Don Sloan married Edith Page.She returned to Ireland after his death and the Sloan name lives on with many great grandchildren.If i can help with anything please contact me.
Regards James Sloan

Hi Kjehan,
James Sloan again.I have a photo of Donald Sloan in his uniform but for some reason i can’t send it to you ! Could you e-mail me your address and i will try to forward it again.Many thanks.
Regards James

Hi James, Kjell emailed me to say that he had heard from you, I am researching the players of Everton FC who fell in the Great War and with your grandfather having played for Everton as well as Liverpool I am very pleased that you have made contact through Kjell’s excellent website. I have visited Faubourg d’Amiens where Donald is buried to pay my respects and I think I know roughly where he was killed. I am continuing to research his service and would be pleased and honoured if you could share some of your family memories. Hopefully I may have some information that may be of interest.

Hi Ingrid. Thanks for visiting the website and what a story you will find regarding Donald Sloan. I know that some football historian friends of mine have researched Sloan much more than me and I will get in touch with them for you.

Don Sloan was one of 9 brothers. 5 fought in the 1st WW, 4 died, 4 went to Canada, 3 were trade union workers, 2 professional footballers, and 1 MP.
Donald was at Front when the 2 telegrams about the deaths of William and Thomas came on the same day. Family asked the War Office to send him to a slighly safer place but they said it was an honour to die for your country which he did 3 months later. No Private Ryan here.
While he was at the Front his 4th child Robert was born and was a year and 3 days old when Donald died. He got whooping cough and died 3 months after his Dad. Everton FC had been helping Donald’s widow financially setting up a little shop in Shettleston Glasgow but she could not cope after the baby died and Edith Emily Page returned home to Belfast.
It was through the Scots Irish tradition of middle surnames from the family that I recently traced my Belfast relatives through a trade directory and found only one Sloan with a middle name Page.
The other Sloan prof. footballer remains a mystery.
The story of this Sloan family is on Ayrshire History Website under New Article. Don’s links are listed as is a film clip of him playing for Ireland in a 1905 league match.
Link http://www.ayrshirehistory.org.uk